


Ulwaat Berries, Fine Cleigne Wheat, Leiden Sweet Potato

by saisei



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Canon Disabled Character, Gen, Permanent Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 10:42:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15970685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saisei/pseuds/saisei
Summary: Ignis loses his eyesight and his memory in Altissia, but not his sense of duty.





	Ulwaat Berries, Fine Cleigne Wheat, Leiden Sweet Potato

Ignis remembers how to fight. Gladio tells himself that's the most important thing.

"You're Noct's bodyguard," he repeats, teaching Ignis how to summon weapons from the armiger again. It's the least complicated lie he can bring himself to tell.

Ignis' scarred eyebrow raises. "Kings don't have blind bodyguards," he points out. He flicks a dagger away and it sinks into the hotel wall; Gladio winces, but at least this time Ignis won't complain about paying for damages. Frowning intently, Ignis tries with the other one, which disappears easily into the magical otherwhere.

"This one does."

"What's wrong with him?"

Gladio takes that at face value. "He defeated a god in battle, his fiance traded her life for his, and you hit your head and forgot him. It's been a shitty week."

Ignis looks at him, or tries to. His gaze, like everything else, is off. "I'm sorry I keep forgetting."

"Long as you can keep him alive, no one's complaining." He summons a sword. "Weapons up. Less stalling, more blocking."

*

Prompto freaks the fuck out when Ignis says, matter-of-fact, that he doesn't remember what anything looks like. He knows the inside of Iggy's head is a mess, and that Gladio and Noct are grieving. He's only really hung out with Ignis for the past year, so he's appointed himself their buffer zone. He'll gladly answer _What's the king's name again?_ a million times if he never again has to see Noct's agony when asked directly.

But this... "You don't get any mental image if you hear 'red' or 'sunset'?" The view from the hotel balcony is _spectacular_.

"Fire and daemons." Ignis sounds impatient, which is better than him being upset. "How could anything else possibly be of importance to me?"

"I'm a photographer," Prompto says by way of helpless explanation. "I take pictures of things that are beautiful or memorable or important, and they make me feel stuff. It's like music," he adds quickly, struck by inspiration as he digs out his phone. "Here." He cues up his Driving Around playlist and chooses a bubbly pop love song.

Ignis cocks his head unconsciously as he listens. Prompto's supposed to stop him from doing that, because Ignis says he doesn't want to stand out just because he's blind. But he's not schooling his expression, and Prompto's reluctant to intrude on his yearning, grief, and frustration.

"We listened to that in the car," Ignis says when the song ends. He sounds certain, but the way he looks at Prompto for clues suggests this is an educated guess. "When I was driving."

"Yeah."

"We were happy."

"Weird, right? So many bad things happening, but it was like – so long as we were together and could do dumb-song karaoke until you made us shut up, things were great."

Ignis nods; a tactical mistake, as it dislodges a tear which slides down his cheek before he can swipe it away.

Prompto is horrified.

He's never been a hugger, but _fucking hell_ he has to throw his arms around Iggy and rub his back and hold him _tight_. Him and his big mouth, talking about Ignis in the past tense, when he was still right here, still alive.

*

"You should spend your time with Gladio and Prompto," Ignis says, firelight reflecting across his visor and obscuring his eyes. "You don't know me."

The words are gentle, like a dagger through his ribs would be, Noct thinks; he's as breathless for a moment as if he really had been stabbed in the heart. He uses that time to compose his refutation.

"I've heard the stories, you know. The past ten years, you guys fought against the daemons and darkness. You protected people from chaos, starvation, despair. _You_ don't know _me_ , but you kept faith that the True King would return, and whatever life you built for yourself, you threw it aside to be here, now, when tomorrow – " Noct takes a breath – "we fight our last battle. Maybe you don't remember my best and oldest friend, but I swear I see him in you."

"I'm told we share a passing resemblance."

Noct smiles, despite it all. 

"You should know, I don't have regrets." His heart is full to overflowing with love and resolution, justice tempered with hope; he's going to make things right. What room is there for regret? "Luna and you guys brought me this far, and now I'm on my own."

"Knowing your Crownsguard, I very much doubt that."

Noct steels himself. "After all you've sacrificed for me, I know I don't have any right to ask a favor – "

"Of course you do," Ignis scoffs. Six above, he sounds so much _himself_ that Noct aches with loss.

"Keep them from following me," Noct blurts out in a rush, voice low. "When the time comes – only one death, one sacrifice is demanded. They'll... they'll listen to Ignis, if he orders them to stay back. At least long enough for it to matter."

"Consider it done," Ignis says. "And worry no more."

Noct is crying, though he hadn't meant to make a scene. "You're the best, Specs." He finds Ignis' hand and clasps it for strength, for inspiration, for old times' sake.


End file.
